The South by Southwest Film Festival will screen movies made by directors who are broke and one from “Avengers” director Joss Whedon, from unknown directors to the latest from “Dazed & Confused” maestro Richard Linklater.

The festival unveiled its lineup on Thursday, and it will screen 109 movies in all, a figure smaller than in year’s past because one of its main venues — the Alamto Drafthouse South Laar — is under construction. It has replaced it this year with the Topfer Theatre at ZACH.

This year's selection includes films from well-heeled veterans like Nick Cassavetes, Nelson George and John Sayles, documentaries about Green Day and Snoop Lion and select hits from Sundance, Toronto and other films festivals

Of the 109 films, 69 are making world premieres, 14 will make their North American premieres and another five will make their U.S. premieres.

The festival chose its entries from a record number of submissions – 2,096 feature-length projects – and with 5,682 submissions in total.

Eight narrative films, selected from 1,191 submissions, will compete for prizes. All of them are world premieres. Eight documentaries, selected from 905 submissions, will compete. All of those are world premieres.

Other sections include “Headliners,” for big names and big talent, “Narrative Spotlight” and “Documentary Spotlight,” for new narrative and docs, “Visions,” for the “risktakers,” “24 Beats Per Second,” for movies inspired by music, “SX Global,” for international projects, “Festival Favorites,” for choice films that have screened at other festivals, and ‘Special Events.”

Two sections — Midnights and Shorts — will be announced Feb. 6. The festival and conference, which takes place at the same time as the music festival and interactive conference, runs from March 8 to March 16 in Austin, Texas.

Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when their father dies and leaves them the lake home. A series of hilarious mishaps and costly misadventures follow as they attempt to restore the house and rebuild their relationship. Cast: Alex Rennie, James Pumphrey, Christopher Meloni, Brett Gelman, Keeley Hazell (World Premiere)

“Burma”
Director/Screenwriter: Carlos Puga

On the eve/”>eve of an annual sibling reunion, a troubled young writer is sent reeling with the arrival of an unexpected guest. Cast: Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Chris McCann, Dan Bittner, Emily Fleischer (World Premiere)

“Improvement Club”
Director/Screenwriter: Dayna Hanson

When their big gig falls through, a ragtag, avant-garde performance group with a political message struggles to find their audience—and the motivating force behind their work.

The story of a young man, D, as he returns to his Oakland neighborhood after two years served in prison for a robbery gone wrong… Cast: Stanley "Doe" Hunt, Koran Jenkins, Tatiana Monet, Devon Libran, Les "DJ Upgrade" Aderibigbe (World Premiere)

"The Retrieval"
Director/Screenwriter: Chris Eska

On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve/”>eve a wanted man. Cast: Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, Alfonso Freeman (World Premiere)

"Short Term 12"
Director/Screenwriter: Destin Daniel Cretton

The film follows Grace, a young supervisor at a foster-care facility, as she looks after the teens in her charge and reckons with her own troubled past. An unsparingly authentic film, full of both heart and surprising humor.

A documentary about embracing your passions and becoming the person of your dreams, disguised as an inspiring biopic about pioneering filmmaker and poet James Broughton (1913-1999). (World Premiere)

“Hey Bartender”
Director: Douglas Tirola

The story of the bartender in the era of the craft cocktail. (World Premiere)

“Los Wild Ones”
Director: Elise Salomon

Wild Records is an indie label reminiscent of the early days of Sun Records. The label is based in LA and run by Reb Kennedy aka Mr. Wild Records and is comprised of young Latin musicians who write and perform 50s Rock n Roll. (World Premiere)

“The Short Game”
Director: Josh Greenbaum

Each year, the world’s best 7-year-old golfers descend on Pinehurst, North Carolina to determine the next “world champion” and who might become golf’s next phenom. The Short Game follows 9 young golfers on their quest for greatness. (World Premiere)

“Touba”
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

With unprecedented access and dynamic 16mm cinematography, Touba reve/”>eveals a different face of Islam by chronicling Sufi Muslims' annual pilgrimage to the city of Touba. (World Premiere)

“We Always Lie To Strangers”
Directors: AJ Schnack, David Wilson

A story of family, community, music and tradition set against the backdrop of Branson, Missouri, the remote Ozark Mountain town that is one of the biggest tourist destinations in America. (World Premiere)

“William and the Windmill”
Director: Ben Nabors

William Kamkwamba builds a windmill from scrap to rescue his family from famine, transforming his life and launching him onto the world stage. His success leads to new opportunities and complex choices, distancing him from the life he once knew. (World Premiere)

HEADLINERS

Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film eve/”>events with some major and rising names in cinema.

Five friends, holed up in a remote cabin, discover a Book of the Dead that unwittingly summons up dormant demons which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left to fight for survival. Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore (World Premiere)

“Hawking (UK)”
Director: Stephen Finnigan

A brief history of mine: a look at the life of Stephen Hawking (World Premiere)

A teenage boy is sent to a juvenile reform facility in the wilderness. As we learn about the tragic eve/”>events that sent him there, his struggle becomes one for survival with the inmates, the counselors, and with the retired war colonel in charge. Cast: PJ Boudousqué, James C. Burns, Chris Petrovski, Octavius J. Johnson, Nicholas Bateman (World Premiere)

Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between "friends" and "more than friends" really blurry? Beer.

Bernice and Fontayne grew up so tight they could ‘go for sisters’. After twenty years apart, they are reunited when Bernice is assigned to be Fontayne’s parole officer- just when she needs help on the wrong side of the law. Cast: Edward James Olmos, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yolonda Ross (North American Premiere)

“Good Night”
Director/Screenwriter: Sean H. A. Gallagher

Leigh's 29th birthday party takes a sudden turn when she announces that the eve/”>evening maybe the last time her friends see her alive. A night of questions, coping and debauchery immediately follow.

Lizzie, married and longing for a child, can’t conceive. Her best friend, Andie, single and lacking any maternal instincts, gets pregnant from a one-night-stand and offers to give her baby to Lizzie, testing the relationships of eve/”>everyone involved. Cast: Michelle Monaghan, Radha Mitchell, Jon Dore, Michael Weston, Mimi Kennedy (World Premiere)

On the trail of her missing sister, Charlotte enlists the help of Wayne, an ex-Marine and alcoholic, to infiltrate the Church of One Accord – a community of snake-handlers who risk their lives seeking salvation in the Holy Ghost. Cast: Emma Greenwell, Brendan McCarthy, Joe Egender, Cameron Richardson, Roger Aaron Brown (World Premiere)

“Hours”
Director/Screenwriter: Eric Heisserer

Set mostly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Hours is the story of a man who battles looters, the elements and exhaustion for two days in a hospital while his newborn daughter clings to life inside a ventilator powered only by a manual crank. Cast: Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez (World Premiere)

This romantic tragedy follows a young woman’s transition from flight to fight after she is the victim of street violence, but will the weapons that make her feel safe again create problems worse than the ones she is escaping? Cast: Trieste Kelly Dunn, Francisco Barreiro, Ashley Rae Spillers, Melissa Hideko Bisagni, John Merriman (World Premiere)

Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.

“An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story”
Director: Al Reinert

Michael Morton’s wife Christine was brutally murdered in front of their only child, and he was convicted of the crime. Twenty-five years later, he tells the story of his journey from despair to exoneration. (World Premiere)

“Before You Know It”
Director: PJ Raval

Three gay seniors navigate the adventures, challenges and surprises of life and love in their golden years. (World Premiere)

“Continental” (USA, Canada)
Director: Malcolm Ingram

A stylish and thoughtful examination of the infamous Continental Baths NYC circa 1968-1976. Told by the people who were there. (World Premiere)

“Downloaded”
Director: Alex Winter

A documentary that explores the rise and fall of Napster and the birth of the digital revolution. It's about the teens that helped start this revolution, and the artists and industries who continue to be impacted by it. (World Premiere)

A polarizing white politician becomes a lightning rod for racial strife in New Orleans. (World Premiere)

“Good Ol' Freda”
Director: Ryan White

The story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: The Beatles. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, Freda tells her tales for the first time in 50 years. (World Premiere)

“I Am Divine”
Director: Jeffrey Schwarz

The story of Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, and how he became John Waters’ cinematic muse and an international drag icon. (World Premiere)

“Medora”
Directors: Andrew Cohn, Davy Rothbart

In America's basketball heartland, four resilient boys from rural Medora, Indiana fight to end their high school team's three-year losing streak, as their dwindling town faces the threat of extinction. (World Premiere)

“MILIUS”
Directors: Zak Knutson, Joey Figueroa

The life story of “Zen Anarchist” filmmaker John Milius, one of the most influential storytellers of his generation. (World Premiere)

“Mr. Angel”
Director: Dan Hunt

Chronicles the extraordinary life of trans male porn pioneer and educator, Buck Angel. It’s a moving & provocative story of a man's search for acceptance from his family and the world. An inspirational tale of an unlikely hero. (World Premiere)

“The Network” (Australia, UK)
Director: Eva Orner

Set behind the scenes at the largest television network in one of the most dangerous places on earth: Afghanistan. (World Premiere)

“The Other Shore”
Director: Timothy Wheeler

The film tracks legendary swimmer Diana Nyad’s lifetime vision and four harrowing attempts to swim non-stop from Cuba to Florida. An abusive past collides with an obsessive present over a dangerous 60-hour feat neve/”>ever before accomplished. (World Premiere)

“Rewind This!”
Director: Josh Johnson

Home video changed the world. The impact of the VHS tape was enormous. Rewind This! aims to trace the ripples of that impact. (World Premiere)

What happens when you allow yourself to act on your dreams? Spark takes us behind the curtain with organizers and participants of Burning Man, reve/”>evealing a year of unprecedented challenges and growth. (World Premiere)

“TINY: A Story About Living Small”
Directors: Christopher Smith, Merete Mueller

One couple's attempt to build a "tiny house" smaller than the average parking space with no construction experience raises questions about sustainability and good design, the nature of home, and the changing American Dream. (World Premiere)

“Unhung Hero” (Germany)
Director: Brian Spitz

After a failed marriage proposal because of his inadequate size, a young man adventures the world in search of answers so he will neve/”>ever come up short again. (World Premiere)

“We Cause Scenes”
Director: Matt Adams

The extraordinary story of a group of twenty-somethings who seized the streets of New York, transforming the meaning of comedy, performance and art through forming "Improv Everywhere," a prank collective ten years in the making. (World Premiere)

VISIONS

Audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape that demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.

“ELENA” (Brazil)
Director: Petra Costa

Elena moves to NY with the dream of becoming a movie actress. She leaves behind Petra, her 7-year-old sister. Years later, her sister Petra goes to NY to look for Elena. (North American Premiere)’

“euphonia”
Director/Screenwriter: Danny Madden

listen. Cast: Will Madden, Maria Decotis (World Premiere)

“Everyone's Going to Die” (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Jones

A modern British story about coming home, getting by and the redemptive power of feeling you're not alone. A story where porn hotlines rub shoulders with sexy beavers on rollerskates; where the past is laid to rest, two lives are changed and nobody, finally, is going to die.

Adapted by Kieran Evans from the acclaimed novel by Niall Griffiths, Kelly + Victor is a raw compelling passionate love story set against the backdrop of a highly cinematic Liverpool, to a searing soundtrack. Cast: Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Julian Morris, Stephen Walters, William Ruane, Claire Keelan (North American Premiere)

“Lunarcy!” (Canada)
Director: Simon Ennis

Director Simon Ennis introduces us to an unforgettable group of characters who all share one thing in common: an obsession with the Moon. (U.S. Premiere)

“Maidentrip”
Director: Jillian Schlesinger

An intimate coming-of-age adventure set against the epic backdrop of the open sea, Maidentrip explores life through the eyes of 14-year-old Laura Dekker on her quest to become the youngest person eve/”>ever to sail around the world alone. (World Premiere)

Recently discovered Super 8 home movies filmed by three of Richard Nixon’s closest aides – and fellow Watergate conspirators – offer an intimate and complex new glimpse into his presidency in this all-archival documentary. (North American Premiere)

A stylish psychological thriller set against the underground dubstep DJ scene that takes the audience on a dark and terrifying journey into the depths of the psychopathic mind as it threatens to explode into horrific violence.

A young substitute teacher escapes from her drudging eve/”>everyday life by fantasizing bizarre parallel realities, in this wildly inventive and visually dazzling head-trip from director Nick Cassavetes.

Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.

“All the Labor”
Director: Doug Hawes-Davis

Intimate performances and behind-the-scenes footage convey the life, labor and brotherhood of the distinctive purveyors of original American music, The Gourds, as they defy genres, expectations, and career clichés over two decades of musical joy. (World Premiere)

“Artifact”
Director: Bartholomew Cubbins

Telling harsh truths about the modern music business, Artifact gives intimate access to singer/actor Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars as they battle their label in a brutal lawsuit and record their album This Is War.

Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, there was a band called Death.

“Born in Chicago”
Director: John Anderson

Passed down from musician to musician, the Chicago blues transcended the color lines of the 1960s as young, white Chicago musicians apprenticed themselves to legends such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. (World Premiere)

“Broadway Idiot”
Director: Doug Hamilton

Punk Rock meets Broadway – WTF!?! Go behind the curtain with Green Day lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, as he ventures into the strange new world of Broadway. Will Billie Joe — or Broadway — eve/”>ever be the same? (World Premiere)

The film takes you inside the world of Green Day, chronicling the conceptualizing and recording of their current musical trilogy (Green Day ¡Uno! Green Day ¡Dos! Green Day ¡Tré!) and featuring intimate live performances that took place along the way.

What happened to Kathleen Hanna? The Punk Singer – a feature-length documentary about the musician (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) and feminist icon – tells the story of where she’s been, and where she is now. (World Premiere)

“Reincarnated”
Director: Andy Capper

The film follows Snoop Dogg on an intimate, spiritual journey, depicting the life and times of a conflicted modern icon striving for light in a world of darkness. (North American Premiere)

“Twenty Feet from Stardom”
Director: Morgan Neville

The untold story of the backup singer in popular music. It is a celebration of the voices from the edge, which brought shape and style to the soundtracks of our lives.

SX GLOBAL

A diverse panorama of international filmmaking talent, including premieres, interactive documentaries and shorts.

“And Who Taught You To Drive?” (Germany)
Director: Andrea Thiele

An American in Tokyo, a Korean in Bavaria, and a German in Mumbai: Prepare for a real culture clash when you have to pass your driving test again in another country … A real life comedy. (North American Premiere)

When a Vienna museum guard befriends an adrift visitor from abroad, the grand Kunsthistorisches Art Museum becomes a mysterious crossroads which sparks explorations of their lives, the city, and the ways artworks reflect and shape the world.

Cast: Mary Margaret O’Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela Piplits (U.S. Premiere)

“The Punk Syndrome” (Finland)
Directors: Jukka Kärkkäinen, J-P Passi

Meet Finland's most kick-ass punk rock band with a handicap: Toni, Sami, Pertti and Kari.

The film follows the band’s journey from rehearsals to success, showing the love and hate between the guys.

“Sofia's Last Ambulance” (Bulgaria)
Director: Ilian Metev

Sofia, Bulgaria. In a city where only 13 ambulances struggle to serve seve/”>everal million people, three paramedics face Kafkaesque situations.

We meet Celine and Jesse nine years after their last rendezvous. Almost two decades have passed since their first encounter on a train bound for Vienna, and we now find them in their early forties in Greece. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story.

Jon (Gordon-Levitt) loves his family, friends, church and porn. Spending hours online, Jon's ideas of a perfect woman collide with Barbara's (Johansson) ideas of a perfect man. They struggle to see past their wants and needs in this romantic comedy.

Ian, a special instructor for the visually impaired, has been hired by a Lisbon school to help blind children and young adults. Howeve/”>ever, his unusual teaching methods are not only challenging, but also dangerous… Cast: Edward Hogg, Alexandra Maria Lara, Melchior Derouet, Francis Frappat

Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind. Cast: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch

Live Soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique film eve/”>event one-offs.

“Bates Motel: Story to Screen with Carlton Cuse”
Combining the SXSW Film Festival and Conference in one, attendees will get an exclusive first look at the pilot of Bates Motel, the thrilling new series from A&E. Following the screening, Executive Producer Carlton Cuse (Lost) will sit down with A&E Marketing EVP Guy Slattery for an inside look and Q&A on the process for bringing this contemporary prequel to life.

A dream ride through 20th-century America made entirely from home movies, asks whether we've reached the end of the open road. The soundtrack for this fully participatory film is made fresh daily by audiences at each screening. (World Premiere)

“Sound City”
Director: Dave Grohl

Through interviews with musicians and producers who worked at recording studio, Sound City, and the writing and recording of new music, we observe the human element of making music and the art of analog recording.

“This Ain't No Mouse Music!”
Directors: Chris Simon, Maureen Gosling

Roots music icon Chris Strachwitz (Arhoolie Records) takes us on a hip-shaking stomp from Texas to New Orleans, Cajun country to Appalachia, searching for the musical soul of America.(World Premiere)

The inside story of three hacktivists who became cult heroes for the internet generation and persecuted criminals to the media industry for running the worlds largest file sharing site. (North American Premiere)